Locking bridge top stop



A. E. cA'RLlLE LOCKING BRIDGE TOP STOP Filed Aug. 11, 1941 INVENTORATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 28, 1942 2,281,000 LOCKING Baroda TOP s'ror Alfred E.Carlile, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Talon, Inc., a corporation ofPennsylvania Application August It, 1941, Serial No. 406,245

7 Claim.

This invention relates to slide fasteners and, in particular, to theprovision of a new and improved bridge top stop for slide fasteners.

It is the object of this invention to provide a.

fastener, in addition to the means commonly,

possessed by such bridge top stops wherebythey connect and maintain theupper ends. of the stringer tapes of the fastener, above the rows of theinterlocking fastener members, in predetermined slightly spacedrelationship.

In the application of slide fasteners to earment placket and otherclosure openings where it is desired that both ends of the closureopening be closed, a commonconnection, is often provided between theupper ends of the stringer tapes by means of an end fitting commonlyknown as a bridge top stop secured between and to the adjacent edges ofthe stringer tapes and by means of which these adjacent edges of thestringer tapes are maintained in predetermined slightly spaced relationwith respect to one another.

. While'in practice slide fasteners used on dress placket openings andsome other closuropenings have not been provided with looking sliders,it is desirable that some means be provided to prevent the slider from"walking down" from its fully closed position. While automatic locksliders are used extensively on slide fasteners for many garmentclosures, their use on fasteners for .dressplackets and the like isobjectionable because of the extra bulkiness or thickness of the slider,andalso because of the additional errpense of the automatic lockingmechanism. As.

a result of my invention, conventional non-locking sliders may still beused and the slider is nevertheless. held in its fully closed positionby the bridge top stop. Thus, accidental opening of such fasteners isprevented without any un desirable projections on the slider and withoutthe expense of other locking means.

Since side dress placket applications require that the closure openingbe closed at both ends, it is impossible, with satisfaction, to use anyof those prior art top stop constructions which comprise a separate andindependent stop mem. her on each stringer adapted to limit upwardmovement of the slider and ,also,-in some cases, provided with meansintended to prevent accidental downward movement of the slider. Theseknown top stop members are unsatisfactory for such dress applications,first, because they provide no common connecting means for the upperends of the slide fastener stringer tapes. They areunsatisfactory alsosince they are permitted to tilt, because of their independence of oneanother, whereby to bind or otherwise become so fouled in the slider, orits parts, as to make it dimcult, and sometimes impossible, to open thefastener without damaging the garment to which the fastener is attached.Since the upper ends of the locking members of the locking bridge topstops are, in each embodiment of this invention,

connected and maintained in predetermined spaced relationship all of theabove disadvantages are totally obviated.

Also, according'to this invention, all of the above describeddisadvantages of theprior art are totally eliminated by the use, with afastener provided with a relatively flat non-locking slider, of my newand improved bridge top stop construction which, in addition to the tapeholding portions is provided with means yieldingly engaging the sliderin its uppermost, closed, position and yieldingly connecting it to thestationary bridge top stop whereby accidental opening of the fastener byreason of the above described "walking down of the slider iseflectivelyprevented. 'Since the connection between the bridge top stopand slider is-yielding, it may readily overcome by theapplication ofmanual force to the slider, in conventional manner, to open the slidefastener. Thus the improved bridge top stop provides controlledresistance to downward movement of the slider from its uppermost lockedposition, which resistance is sufllcient to prevent accidental openingof the fastener without impairment of the ease of operation of thefastener.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a conventional slidefastener provided with an improved bridge top stop-according to thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the fastener shown in Fig. l withthe slider in section,

and the parts in unlocked position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the parts in lockingposition;

Fig. 41s a view in perspective of the :bridge top stop of Fig. 1; v

Fig. is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a modified form of bridgetop stop, according to this invention;

Fig, 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of the bridge top'stop shown in Fig;5; I

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 5 of a secholding portions ti.Hence, at their lower ends ond modified form of bridge top stop,according .iorced edge l5 which-carries a row of predeterminedly spacedcooperating interlocking iastener members 46 clamped or otherwisesecured thereto in known manner. The lower ends of the reinforced edgeslb of the tapes M are connected,

in conventional manner, by a suitable bottom end fitting or bottom stopsuch'as that shown in Fig.

1 and therein designated ii. Slidable along the rows oi the interlockingfastener members it for progressively engaging and disengaging same, forclosing and opening the fastener, is a slider generally designated l3.

The slider 88, as shown in Fig. 1, is formed by a pair of similar Wings69 connected at their upper ends by a wedge forming neck 20. Each wingis provided with marginal guide flanges 2! which cooperate with theinclined side surfaces oi the wedge or neck to form an upwardlydiverging, generally Y-shaped, guide channel between the wings l9 forguiding the interlocking fastener members It progressively into and outof interlocking relation as shown, for instance, in Figs. 2 and 3. Theforward or outer wing is (not shown in Figs, 2, 3, 5 and '1) is providedwith a pair of pull tab supporting lugs 22 in the form of upstandingloops extending outwardly oriorwardly from the wing IS. The slider isprovided with the conventional pull tab,generally designoted 23, whichis of plate-like form and which isprovided at its outer end with a thongreceiving aperture 2. Its inner end is provided with a pair of slots 25between a central tongue 26 and a pair oi legs 21, each of which legs211s provided with a projection or trunnion extending toward the tongue26. These projections or trunnions 28 extend beneath the loop-like lugs22 and pivotally secure the inner end of the pull tab 23 to the sliderI3.

each tape holding portion Si is provided with an inwardly directedextension or projection 33 which, by reason oi its cooperation with theneck or wedge 23 ot the slider, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, may be termedlocking members. Since these projections or looking members 33 arespaced substantially from the yielding or resilient bridge member 32',they may be forced apart by the neck or wedge is or the slider in itsupward movement, as shown in Fig. 2, with concurrent flexing of thebridge portion 32 as shown in that figure.

a After the neck or wedge 20 01 the slider it, has moved furtherupwardly. as shown in Fig. 3, these projections or locking members 33will'return to their normal unstressed relative positions, as shown inFig. 3. when the locking members or projections 33 are in this position,and when the wedge 23 of the slider I8 is confined therebetween, asshown in Fig. 3, the cooperationbetween the bridge top stop and thewedge20 of the slider I8 is suflicient to prevent accidental downwardmovement oi the slider to open the fastener. However, when it is desiredto open the fastener, it is merely necessary manually to engage the pulltab 23 of the slider and pull it bridge top stop.

An alternative form of locking bridge top stop,

according to this invention, is shown in Figs, -5 and 6 and is thereingenerally. designated iii.

This bridge top mp 60 is provided with tape The preferred embodiment oflocking bridge top stop, according to this invention, is shown in tion.This bridge portion 32 efie'ctively maintains the spacing between theupper ends of the tape holding portions 3| while, by reason of its 7flexibility and resiliency, permitting substantial movement oi thelower, or free ends of the tap holding portions M which are of similarsection to the above described tape holding portions 3i. These tapeholding portions 6| are connected by a transverse neck or bridge portion42 which is of curved section and thereiore relatively inflexiblewhereby no substantial flexing oi the tape holding portions ii ispermitted. For this reason, the locking projections or looking members33 comprise inwardly directed somewhat curved tab-like prongs slit fromthe central part oi. the

tape holding portions ii of the bridge top stop dd; These prong-likelocking projections 43,-because oi their fiat section, are extremelyspringlike and yield readily from their normal unstressed position(Fig.- 6) under the spreading force exerted by the wedge or neck 20oi'the slider 18 (as shown in Fig. 5) to permit the slider it to bemanually pulled up to its uppermost position as shown in Fig. 5. In thisuppermost position, the wedge or neck 20 of the slider.

i c is clampingly connected yieldably to the bridge top stop 40 by theclamp-like locking members 43, as shown in Fig. 5. The clamping force oithe locking members 43, in this position, is willcient to preventaccidental downward movement of the slider l3. However. the neck orwedge 13 of the slider l8 may readily be withdrawn from its positionbetween the locking members 43 by the application of slight tension tothe pull tab 23 of the slider l8.

, A second modification oithe invention is shown in Figs. 7 and 8, andis therein generally designated 30. It comprises a pair of tape holdingportions 3| similar to the above described tape holding portions H ofthe bridge top stop 40.

These tape holding portions 5| are connected by a transverse neck orbridge portion 52 which.

is substantially inflexible and which is similar to the above describedportion 42 of. the bridge top stop so. The locking members, extensionsor projections, are designated 53 and are similar to the above describedlocking projections 33, save that they are somewhat longer and aredisposed below the tape holding portions being formed as prolongationsof the tape holding portions iii instead or being'cut out therefrom asare the locking members it of the embodiment of 5 and 6. Because oftheir length and because of their relatively fiat section and theircurvature from end to end, these locking members or projections 53 arespring-like and clamplike and are readily spread apart from their normalunstressed position shown in Fig. 8 by upward movement of the neat: orwedge 2c of the slider i i therebetween to the position shown in Fig.F7. in this position, the slider it is yieldingly connected to thebridge top stop by the clamping engagement between the locking members53 and the inclined side surfaces of the neck or wedge is of the sliderit. The clamping iorce exerted by the locking members lid is suiiicient.of course, to prevent accidental separation of the slider it and topstop so while manual application of tension to the pull tab 23 of theslider to will readil cause the neck or wedge til to spread the yieldinglocking members 53 apart in order that the neck or wedge 2i! oi theslider may pass downwardly therebetween and therebeyond to free theslider from the locking top stop tit.

iirom the above description it will readily appear that I have provideda new and improved locking top stop particularly adapted to dressplacket applications and the lilre wherein it is desired to achieve aslide fastened closure which is closed at both ends and which embodies aslide fastener with a flat, non-locking slider, the cooperation oi thebridge top-stop-with the slider providing controlled resistance toopening of the fastener in order effectively to prevent accidentalopening of the fastener while obviating the necessity of any undue bulkor expense as a result of the use of locking sliders.

It is, of course, to be understood that the above described structure ismerely illustrative and in nowise limiting and that I desire tocomprehend within; my invention all modifications included within thescope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. A locking bridge top stop for slide fasteners comprising a pair ofconnected stringer tape engaging members adapted to maintain thecomplementary tapes of a slide fastener in predetermined relation, andmeans on said members engageable with the slider of said fastener in itsuppermost position for yieldingly connecting said slider and said topstop to prevent accidental opening of said slide fastener.

2. A locking bridge top stop for slide fasteners comprising a pair ofstringer tape engaging members connecting at their upper ends andadapted to maintain the complementary tapes of a fastener inpredetermined relation, and means on said members clampingly engagingthe neck 0! the slider of the fastener in its uppermost position foryieldlngly connecting said slider and said top stop to preventaccidental opening of said slide fastener.

- 3. In combination with a slide fastener including a pair of stringertapes each having a row or interlocking iastener members on one edge,and a slider slidable on said rows of interlocking fastener members forprogressively engaging and disengaging said fastener members to closeand open said fastener; a biidgetop stop comprising a pair of tapeholding members connected at their upper ends and secured to adjacentedges of said tapes above the rows of interlocking fastener members formaintaining said upper tape ends in predetermined relation, and means onsaid top stop cooperating with said slider in its uppermost position foryielrlingly connecting said slider with said top stop to preventaccldental opening oi said fastener.

4. in combination with a slide fastener includ ing apair ofcomplementary stringer tapes each having a row of interlocking fastenermembers on one edge, and a slider slidable on said rows of interlockingfastener members forprogressively engaging and disengaging said fastenermembers to close and open said fastener, said slider comprising a pairof wings connected at their upper ends by a neck; a bridge top stopcomprising a for maintaining said upmr tape ends in predeterminedrelation, and projections on said tape holding members yieldinglyengaging the neck of said slider in its uppermost position for yield.

ingly connecting said slider with said top stop in the closed positionof said fastener to'prevent accidental opening of said fastener.

5. In combination with a slide fastener including a pair ofcomplementary stringer tapes each having a row of interlocking fastenermembers on one edge and a slider slidable on said rows ofinterlocking'iastener members for progressively engaging and disengagingsaid fastener members to close and open said fastener, said slidercomprising a pair of wings connected at their upper ends by a neck; abridge top stop comprising a pair of relatively inflexible tape holdingmembers connected at their upper ends by a relatively inflexible bridge,said tape holding members being secured to adjacent edges'of said tapesabove olental opening of said fastener.

6. The combination defined in claim 5, said locking projections beingdisposed between said tape holding members and comprising yielclableprong-like projections struck out from said tape '7. The combinationdefined in claim 5, said locking projections comprisingdownwardlyextending prolongations of said tape holding mamhers formingspring-like spreadaole clamping arms closely engaging the inclined sidesurfaces. of the slider neck in the uppermost position of the slider.

